Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 63 shares during the period. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% in the second quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:BDX traded up $3.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $243.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,082,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,394,272. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $262.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.69, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.